


You Can’t Sit There

by a1_kitkat



Series: Fictober 2020 [11]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fictober 2020, Flirting, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, No Smut, coffee shop AU, forlex, should probably be rated G
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26947942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: A sort of different take on the Coffee Shop AU... Alex & Forrest meet as two background characters in someone else's Coffee Shop RomancePROMPT USED - COFFEE SHOP AU
Relationships: Forrest Long/Alex Manes
Series: Fictober 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947391
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21





	You Can’t Sit There

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Reader,
> 
> I'm gonna be honest with you before you begin to read this... This fic just isn't *good*. See, I had an interesting idea here but just couldn’t seem to execute it well. I rewrote it several times but just couldn't make it work  
> Then while stuck, struggling, I discovered that I was exactly 4,702 words away from having posted exactly 2,000,000 words to ao3. Which means I needed to end this fic at exactly 4,702 words.  
> So this fic probably ends a bit abruptly but consider yourselves lucky in the long run; there was just no saving this fic but it was either *this* or no fic at all today.  
> Sorry in advance!

It had _not_ been a good morning.

Alex had known when his alarm sounded that morning that it wasn’t going to be a good day; he’d woken up on the wrong side of the bed as the saying went. Perhaps it was because it hadn’t been his alarm that had woken him but that of the reasonably attractive man, he’d met the previous night. He’d told himself no more one-night-stands then a rather disastrous blind date had caused him to go right to the nearest bar to drink away the stench of said blind-date.

Several drinks later and he’d left the bar for a really good time. This morning he’d woken up in a stranger’s bed and was now performing the ‘walk of shame’. He wasn’t actually ashamed though for it had been a very enjoyable night once they’d arrived at the man’s home and fallen into his bed.

Alex held his head high as he walked down the street but there was no bounce in his step because he knew he wasn’t going to see the guy again. There had been that awkward small talk and the offer of coffee which Alex had declined as he scampered out the front door.

So, his night had been fun but the morning… not so much. He _really_ needed coffee. Alex rounded a corner and noted just how many cafes were in this one street alone. He walked along, observing the crowds and noise level of each place as he passed. His mild hangover was telling him to find a nice quiet place… Maybe order on the go and keep walking or find a park bench to settle on to bathe in the morning sunlight?

He pushed open a door and noted this café wasn’t overly busy, only three people waiting in line and one or two still vacant tables. He joined the short line and read over the menu, trying to decide what to order but once he reached the counter, Alex just asked for the strongest thing they had. It took a few moments for them to prepare it and he lingered, planning to grab his coffee and run.

The barista handed him his disposable cup and he thanked him with a smile. Alex turned to walk out but there was now one table free and it was calling to him so he started towards it. He stopped to pull out the chair when a voice at the next table said, ‘you can’t sit there!’

Alex turned around, trying to determine where the voice was coming from and who it had been addressing. A man around his own age with messy blue hair was staring at him with an appalled expression on his face.

“Excuse me?” Alex frowned.

“Here,” The blue-haired man pulled out the vacant chair at his own table and nodded for Alex to sit down.

His eyes shifted from the chair he was being offered to the one he’d been going to sit in but this complete stranger was silently pleading with him. Alex wasn’t in the mood for this.

“You don’t have to talk to me, or acknowledge me in any way, shape or form; you just can’t sit _there_ , okay?” he pressed.

Alex rolled his eyes. He _really_ wasn’t in the mood for this but if it would shut this guy up then so be it. He grabbed the chair the man was offering him and slipped into it.

“Happy now?” he asked him.

“Very,” he replied with a smile though he was looking over Alex’s shoulder.

“Are you going to tell-”

“Wait for it!” he grabbed Alex’s arm almost excitedly. “Look… But don’t look!”

Alex sighed and rolled his eyes again. He shifted the chair just slightly in time to see another patron sit down at the table he’d been going to sit at. The man picked up a menu and began to read it but a moment later, the barista appeared with his coffee. Alex watched as the barista’s hand shook as he placed the mug on the table. The patron and the barista shared a shy smile and both blushed before the barista hurried away.

“Isn’t that just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” the blue haired man whispered, excitedly shaking Alex’s arm.

“Uhhhh,” Alex frowned; he wasn’t exactly sure what was going on.

“The two of them are _so_ into each other but neither wants to make the first move,” he continued in a whisper. “So, Steve comes here every day that Danny is working and orders the same thing and sits at the same table. Wait for it…” he nodded as barista-Danny came back over with a sugar packet and handed it to Steve.

Alex watched as they both smiled again before Danny walked away but returned about thirty seconds later with a napkin.

“And they do this every day?” Alex asked the blue-haired man.

“Yep.”

“And you sit here… watching them… every day?”

“What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic.”

He smiled at Alex, a real and genuine smile that went all the way to his eyes and Alex felt himself smiling back. The man’s smile was infectious. He quickly looked away and peered at the table they were now sharing. There was a pile of books with post-it notes stuck to multiple pages and two notepads on top. He looked back up at the smiling man and noticed a pencil tucked behind his ear.

He must’ve thought Alex was staring because he reached up and pulled the pencil free.

“I was wondering what I did with that,” he said before tucking his pencil in with his books.

“Are you a writer?” Alex asked him.

“I, uh, told you that you don’t have to make small talk with me… I just, needed you to keep that table free for Steve.”

“Well, it _was_ the last vacant table in here so I guess you’re stuck with me for now,” Alex said.

“Not necessarily,”

“How so?”

“Your coffee is in a disposable cup, you’re free to leave whenever you want.”

“Maybe I don’t want to leave… Maybe I’m invested in the slowly unfolding love story between Barista Danny and Customer Steve.”

“Well, if you truly are then I guess I’ll see you here on Wednesday morning, same time, same table?”

Alex frowned, watched as the man picked up a ratty satchel bag and placed his notebooks, pencils and several books inside. He downed the last mouthful of his drink then grabbed the rest of his pile of books.

“You’re leaving?” Alex asked him. “But I never even got your name. I know more about Steve and Danny than I know about you.”

“Forrest.”

“Is that a code word or…?”

“It’s my name, keep up, Beautiful.”

Forrest smiled at Alex, shouldered his bag and walked to the door. Alex watched him go, observed as he paused by the door and turned back to smile at him. Damn his smile was beautiful… Just like _he’d_ called Alex. He smiled back and even gave a small wave. He turned his attention back to the table next to his in time to see the Barista return and place a small muffin on the table. His face was a shade of red as he stated it was ‘on the house’ before hurrying away.

Okay, maybe Forrest was right and they were just about the cutest thing Alex had ever seen. Here were two guys who were into each other but really taking their time to get to know one and other. Alex couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the same guy more than twice. No wonder he was perpetually single.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, set a reminder (that he wouldn’t need) to make sure he was sitting at _this_ very table in two days’ time and silently hoping Forrest hadn’t been lying, that he would be sitting here too.

*-*-*

Thankfully he’d pinned the café on his phone or he’d probably never have found it again. The small rustic place had been much closer to his… companions place than his own. He was just relieved he didn’t have to return to the man’s apartment for anything because that place he’d definitely never find again.

He checked his watch as he hurried along the street, not really sure why he was even hurrying. Was it because he was hoping Forrest would be there? Or was he actually invested in the love lives of two complete strangers than he was in his own? Perhaps that was because he didn’t _have_ a love life of his own. Was that why he’d spent the past two days thinking about a blue-haired man with a nice smile?

Alex pushed open the door of the café and his eyes immediately scanned the room. There were many more vacant tables this time, including the one Customer-Steve would be due to sit at shortly. The table next to that one was, once again, covered in a pile of books and Alex’s heart skipped a beat when Forrest looked up and waved at him.

He didn’t even bother to order a drink, just made his way straight over to the table and found himself smiling back at Forrest. He realized he probably looked like a loon, grinning stupidly at the blue haired man but Forrest simply pushed the chair opposite his out with his foot and nodded for Alex to join him. He sat down without a word and just continued to smile nervously at Forrest.

“You made it,” Forrest greeted him.

“I’m not late, am I?” Alex asked.

“Nope, I’d say another five minutes before Steve gets here.”

“Is it weird that you sit here every day and watch these two?”

“No, I sit here every few days and do research. It’s not my fault they happen to be here at the exact

same time as me… It’s weird that _you_ came here just to watch them.”

“Oh, so now you’re implying I’m a weirdo?”

“You forgot to order a drink for yourself. Who does _that_?”

“I didn’t _forget_ ; I… Was being polite in coming over here to ask if you’d like a drink?”

Forrest’s eyes shifted to the mug on the table next to his tower of books and the plate with remnants of raisin toast beside it.

“I, uh, I’m good but… Thank you for being so polite,” he replied.

“Then if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back,” Alex said before climbing to his feet.

He made his way to the counter and found himself in line behind Customer-Steve. He couldn’t say anything to him though so he just waited while the man flirtily placed his order before heading to his usual table. When Alex stepped up to the counter, Barista-Danny was still watching Steve walk away. He cleared his throat twice before wrangling his attention and ordering his own drink. Alex turned to sneak a peek at Forrest and was surprised to find him staring right back at him. They both blushed and quickly looked away.

This felt like very new territory for him, Alex wasn’t sure what exactly was happening here. He made his way back to the table and sat down.

“Dare I ask?” Forrest began.

“Ask away,” Alex replied.

“Did, uh, you order your drink to go?”

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

Were they flirting? Alex wasn’t really sure. He’d never been very good at the whole dating thing or the whole making new friends thing either. Maybe Forrest was just looking for a friend? Or maybe he really is a creep who’s fascinated by random strangers which was why he’s stalking two men in a coffee shop? And now he’d managed to pull Alex into his creepy habit… Suddenly Alex began to wish he’d ordered his drink to go.

Barista-Danny came walking over to the table beside theirs and carefully placed Steve’s mug down in front of him. They shared another shy smile before Danny walked back to the counter then a moment later, he shouted Alex’s name through the shop to signal his drink was ready too.

“So, he’ll bring _his_ drink to the table but not mine?” Alex muttered to Forrest.

“At least now I know _your_ name,” Forrest replied with a wink.

Alex blushed as he made his way to the counter to collect his drink. Had he really been so rude as to not tell Forrest his name…? But he hadn’t asked either, had he? Oh God, he really was bad at this.

“Uh, yeah,” Alex blushed. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you, like, new in town or something? Oh, let me guess… You’re actually in Witsec and keep forgetting you have a new name and a new identity; you keep falling back into your old ways?”

“Honestly I wish it were that exciting. I’m just really bad at making new friends.”

“Really?” Forrest frowned.

“Between you and me… I’m more of a… ‘get to know you really well once then never call again’ kinda guy.”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s actually how I ended up here in the first place… Can’t do a walk of shame without my coffee.”

“You, uh, didn’t appear to be… ashamed.”

“One man’s walk of shame is another’s victory lap, I guess.”

“So… You’re a slut?”

“Depends, are you a prude?”

“My ‘magic number’ is six, you tell me.”

“Honestly? That’s… Respectable. I’d tell you mine but… I don’t remember it.”

“Sure, you do, I can tell… I can see it in your eyes, you know what it is but you don’t want to tell me because you think I’ll judge you even though I barely know you and really could care less how many cheerleaders you banged in high school.”

“None, thank you very much! There were only four male cheerleaders at my school and none of them were hot.”

“Excuse you, it’s statistically impossible for male cheerleaders to not be hot.”

“Well, clearly you didn’t go to my high school.”

“Obviously not or I’d have remembered you.”

Alex laughed and shook his head.

“To be honest, I barely remember me anymore. I was a…goth punk emo band kid.” Alex confessed. “Black nail polish, eyeliner, a septum ring, lot of jewellery… My dad _hated_ it which was basically why I did it.”

“Well, when you paint a picture like _that_ , yeah I definitely would’ve noticed _and_ remembered you.” He said. “Goth-Punk-Emo guys were totally my thing. I was more the angsty brooding nerd type though.”

“A pile of books that high? Something tells me you’re still a slightly nerdy type.”

“I’m a research assistant but oh yeah all those books just give me a complete nerd boner.”

They both giggled and Alex reached for his drink. The conversation flowed much easier after that. Forrest talked about his job while Alex tried to make his current unemployment situation sound less nerve-wracking than it actually was. Admitting to being discharged from service then refusing to run home with his tail between his legs was a story for another day…

It wasn’t until Forrest’s alarm went off that they both realized Customer-Steve was long gone and Barista-Danny was daydreaming behind the counter. They’d both been so invested in each other that they’d failed to notice the interactions at the next table.

“So, uh, I gotta run but it was nice seeing you again, _Alex_ , uh,” Forrest shoved his books into his satchel.

“When, uh, will… uh… The courtship of Danny and Steve continue?” Alex asked him.

“Tomorrow afternoon, around 2pm?”

“Sounds nice. Maybe I’ll see you here then?”

“It’s a date,” Forrest said before grabbing his phone and his pencil then hurrying away from the table.

Alex sank back in the seat and looked down at his cold cup of coffee. He’d been so lost in Forrest’s words that he’d essentially forgotten all about his drink but tomorrow he wouldn’t. Tomorrow _wasn’t_ a date, it couldn’t be. Who organizes a date for 2pm in the afternoon? Not him.

But he already knew he was fooling himself because he would definitely be back tomorrow.

*-*-*

The following day when Alex arrived at the café, Forrest wasn’t there. He told himself not to panic, that he would show up… Maybe he was just running late? Alex went inside, ordered a drink and made his way over to their table. _Their_ table; he was already thinking of it as theirs. Damn, he needed to get a better handle on this.

He sank down in the chair and tried not to stare at the door, counting the seconds until he spied the mop of blue hair. Forrest came hurrying into the café, looking very dishevelled and he began apologizing profusely but Alex waved his apology away. It didn’t bother him that Forrest was late, he was just happy he was there.

This was so new for him; he wasn’t good at meeting people and setting a time to spend time with them. He’d only recently ventured into online dating and so far, his three dates had been epic failures but Forrest was… nothing like any of those men he’d met online. He was sweet, genuine, if a little stalkery of two men he didn’t know but that made him kind of endearing.

“I had to work through lunch, do you mind if I eat something?” Forrest asked him.

“Sure, go ahead,” Alex smiled.

“You want anything?”

“No thanks, I’m good.”

He watched as Forrest headed over to the counter, mulled over what to order then came wandering back with Alex’s drink in hand.

“Barista-Danny asked me to bring you this,” Forrest said as he placed the mug on the table.

“Thank you,” Alex almost blushed. “Could he not leave his post?”

“Nope, check it out.”

They both turned and saw Customer-Steve waiting in line. Forrest turned back and his eyes met with Alex’s, they both giggled.

“You weren’t kidding, he really is here all the time,” Alex stated. “So... Which one do you think is gonna cave first?”

“I don’t know, they’re both an odd mix of stubborn and shy,” Forrest replied. “Although, I may have asked Danny out myself and been rejected.”

“You? He turned _you_ down?”

“You sound surprised.”

“Uh, well… I mean… You’re… _You_ ,”

“But _I’m_ not Steve over there,” Forrest nodded towards the man waiting in the line.

“Clearly,” Alex said. “Steve would never have told me where I can and can’t sit.”

“That was an emergency! I couldn’t let you throw off his routine.”

“Just how long have you been watching these two anyway?”

“About three months.”

“Three months? And they’re still tip toeing around each other?”

“If their courtship was a movie, it’d be longer than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”

“Have you not considered… intervening and moving them along a bit?”

“I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

Forrest looked almost scandalized. Alex waited until Steve had taken residency at his usual table then he leaned over and got his attention.

“Excuse me, I hate to be a bother but my friend can’t find his cell phone and I left mine at home, could I maybe borrow yours and ring his to help him find it?” Alex asked.

Steve looked at them both then shrugged and handed his phone to Alex who then handed it to Forrest. His hand was trembling as he typed his number in then dialled it. His phone began to ring from inside his satchel and he quickly ended the call.

“See? I told you it had to be there somewhere!” Alex declared as he took the phone from Forrest and passed it back to Steve. “Thanks so much!”

“No problem.” Steve smiled and pocketed his phone.

“What was that?” Forrest whispered.

“Just trust me.”

“Why should I trust you? I barely even know you.”

“Yet you’ve invited me here _twice_ for coffee?”

“Maybe I like the parts of you I do know?”

“All you know about me is I’m a coffee addict and a slut.”

“Not exactly, you never gave me your magic number.”

“And I’m not gonna.”

“Afraid I’m gonna judge you?”

“Do you want the whole sob story?” Alex asked. “How my dad tried to beat the gay out of me until he caught me with a boy then shipped me off to join the armed forces? Joke was on him though, me and some of the other cadets had a _real_ good time in the barracks, if you know what I mean, then a few months ago I got hurt, some shrapnel is actually still inside my leg… Was enough to get me discharged though and I refuse to go running back to a father who’s ashamed of me so I’m traveling for a bit… Trying to find a place to settle.”

“So, that’s it? That’s your whole story all summarized in a single blurb?” Forrest asked.

“Well, is your story any better?” Alex replied.

“Maybe I don’t wanna share it just yet.”

“I aired my dirty laundry.”

“Yeah, a little too eagerly I think…”

Forrest’s name was called and he went to the counter to collect his drink and his muffin. He returned to the table and sat down.

“My story isn’t as exciting as yours,” Forrest said. “It’s rather boring by comparison. I went to Grad school and because I wanted to write a book, I got a job as a research position so I’d have access to some of the best libraries in town. It doesn’t pay great but I have a lot of free time for my personal research and most of what others give me to do is actually interesting so I don’t mind it.”

“So, you’ve been in town a while then?”

“Almost two years now.”

“And this is the best coffee shop you’ve found?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Because you’re here, every day, watching two strangers fall in love?”

“I… Uh… I live nearby.”

“Really?”

“And I hate making my own coffee… It just tastes better when someone else makes it for you, you know?”

“I hear that.”

“I just like the ambiance here…” he shrugged, picked at the top of his muffin and looked up at Alex. “And the company,” he added with a smile.

Alex smiled back but averted his eyes as he felt himself blushing. Were they flirting again? He still wasn’t sure. Alex was used to picking up in clubs, where it was noisy and not many words would be exchanged. He’d spent more time with Forrest in this one week then he had with his last… however many hook-ups.

“Oh, and the food,” Forrest said. “Here, try this,”

He broke a piece of his muffin from the top and raised it to Alex’s lips. He hesitated for only a moment before opening his mouth and Forrest popped the food inside, Alex watching the concentration upon Forrest’s face. He leaned back in the seat and picked up his drink while Alex slowly chewed the muffin piece.

“Wow… You’re right, that’s _good_!” he exclaimed.

“Told ya,” Forrest grinned.

“So, it’s not just the company and the food and the ambiance that keeps bringing you back?”

“This place just feels like my home away from home.”

“Can I see your phone?” Alex asked him.

Forrest frowned as he handed his phone over to Alex, secretly hoping this meant Alex was about to give him his phone number. He watched as Alex scrolled through the numbers, picked up a pen and scribbled a number onto a napkin.

“What are you doing?” Forrest asked.

“What does it look like?” Alex replied. “I’m writing Steve’s number onto a napkin and am going to leave it for the barista.”

“You can’t intervene like that.”

“Someone has to or they’ll never get their shit together.”

“You really think it’s okay to meddle in other people’s love lives?”

“Are you really content to just watch these two people who are clearly into each other, just continue to not be together?” 

“I’m not a busybody!”

“And you think I am? You’re the one who’s been coming here for months, watching these two dance around each other and just watching like a weirdo.”

“You’re calling me a weirdo,” Forrest repeated. “Gee, thanks.”

“You called me one,” Alex said.

“I did?”

“You don’t remember?”

“I, uh, can’t say I do…”

“When I politely didn’t order a drink for myself, you called me out for being weird.”

“Oh.”

“But I still think you’re… odd… for being invested in the love lives of two complete strangers more than your own…”

“Well, on that note…” Forrest began to collect up his belongings. “Look at the time, I have to run.”

Alex watched as Forrest climbed to his feet, he immediately reached for his hand.

“Wait, please?” Alex said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please don’t go.”

“Give me one good reason why I should stay.”

“Because I like you.”

Alex released Forrest’s hand and pulled away in surprise, shocked at his own admittance. Had he really just confessed to _liking_ him?

“I mean, I, uh,” Alex stammered. “I know we don’t really know each other that well but… I, uh, would like to get to know you better…”

“And you think insulting me is the best way to win me over?”

“I don’t know how to win you over,” Alex confessed. “I don’t know how to… date someone… okay? I pick up guys and I have sex with them then I leave and never see them again.”

“So… Is this some plot to try to get me into your bed or-?”

“No! Never!”

“So, you don’t want me in your bed?”

“I don’t know how to be _in_ a relationship because I’ve never been in one… And, if I lure you into my bed too soon then I might panic and run away but I feel like… Like you’re not someone I’d want to run from.”

“Are you trying to ask me out or not?” Forrest asked.

“I don’t know,” Alex confessed.

“Alex?”

“I like you, okay? And… I like what we have going on here… even if it’s only been a couple of times… It’d be nice to see where this could maybe go but…” he paused. “If you’re only coming here for them… I thought maybe it best to rip the band-aid off and get this over with because I’m certain I’ll just screw this up somehow and…”

“I’ll tell you what… This is _my_ coffee shop and I’m here all the time, regardless of whatever happens with the barista and his customer… So… I’ll still be coming here, regardless,”

“What exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying that… I like you, too… And if you meddle with Danny and Steve or even if you don’t, I will still be here all the time enjoying my coffee and my muffin.”

Alex stared up at him, unsure what to say next, but he picked up the napkin he’d scribbled the phone number onto and he proceeded to tear it up. Forrest watched in silence but once Alex finished and placed the shredded pieces aside, Forrest sat back down and reached for his hand. They both looked into each other’s eyes and Forrest smiled.

“Maybe you’re right,” Alex said before averting his gaze. “That… it’s not my place to meddle in other people’s love lives…”

“Not even mine?” Forrest asked.

Alex’s heart skipped a beat and he wasn’t sure how to respond. Forrest smiled to himself and squeezed his hand. Alex looked up, saw him smiling and he had to take a moment to collect himself.

How had he gotten here? Into a situation such as this? He hadn’t picked up or hooked up, been to a club or a bar since… Since he’d stumbled into this coffee shop and he’d crossed paths with this charismatic, blue-haired, hopeless romantic who was now sitting across from him, holding his hand and smiling at him.

“I’m sorry, do you _have_ one?”

“Well, see… There’s this guy that I’m kinda seeing… We have… regular coffee dates where we spy on other people who aren’t dating and… While nothing official has been set or decided… I’m hoping he’ll agree to have dinner with me tonight…?”

“It’s a date,”


End file.
